Stern-faced Theresa May greets Vladimir Putin with frosty handshake

Theresa May greeted Vladimir Putin with the frostiest of handshakes as they met at the G20 in Japan in a meeting which had been soured before it had even begun by the Russian President’s attack on Western views on gay rights, immigration and multiculturalism.

Mr Putin had boasted prior to the showdown between the pair that liberalism in Europe and the US had ‘outlived its purpose’ and called the decision to allow millions of migrants into the EU a ‘cardinal mistake’.

Mrs May appeared to have taken the comments to heart as she met Mr Putin and remained utterly stony-faced as they briefly shook hands.

The meeting was already due to be a tense affair after Mrs May vowed to confront Mr Putin over the Salisbury spy attack and demand that he hand over the suspects.

Speaking ahead of the showdown talks Mrs May had heaped pressure on Mr Putin as she said what happened in the Wiltshire city was a ‘despicable and irresponsible act’ and those responsible needed to face justice.

She told the BBC: ‘Russia does not allow the extradition of its nationals, but European arrest warrants are out for those two individuals and if they set foot outside Russia we will be making every effort that they are brought to justice.’

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Putin said ‘the liberal idea’ was on its way out as the public turned its back on liberalism and he claimed German chancellor Angela Merkel had made a huge error in her 2017 decision to allow a million refugees into the country.

He said: ‘[Liberals] cannot simply dictate anything to anyone just like they have been attempting to do over the recent decades.

‘This liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done. That migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights as migrants have to be protected.’

He added: ‘Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population.’

The G20 – the countries with the largest and fastest-growing economies – are meeting in Osaka, Japan and posed for the famous ‘family photo’ of world leaders which as well as Mr Putin and Mrs May included US President Donald Trump, China’s Xi Jinping, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman and their host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The first major meeting was between Mr Trump and Russia’s leader where the US President hailed their ‘very, very good relationship’, adding: ‘It’s a great honour to be with President Putin’.

An extraordinary moment then followed their handshake as Mr Trump told Mr Putin: ‘Don’t meddle in the election, please,’ with a smile on his face, turning to grin at the Russian leader.

Their meeting was in stark contrast the head-to-head between Mrs May and Mr Putin which appeared unlikely to result in thaw in relations.

In sharp contrast, Mr Putin faced a far frostier head-to-head with a grim-faced Theresa May as the two shook hands this morning. The Prime Minister is due to demand he takes responsibility for the nerve agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury last year and tell him to hand over the Novichok assassins sent by the Russian state to kill their former agent.

Theresa May and Vladimir Putin engaged in an awkward handshake at the start of their meeting in Japan today which came after the Russian president had criticised Western values

Mrs May appeared unwilling to even look at Mr Putin as they shook hands after he launched an attack on ‘liberalism’

Relations between Russia and Britain have been in tatters over the March 4, 2018, nerve agent attack on double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury

Donald Trump has met Vladimir Putin today with the US President saying with a smile ‘don’t meddle’ in the US elections, which was delivered with a smile

Donald Trump shares some warm words with Theresa May, attending her last G20 before she leaves office in July

France’s President Emmanuel Macron (L) greets US President Donald Trump by patting him on the back in Osaka today with the leaders sharing a joke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (r)

President Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, an adviser to the White House, have joined The Donald on the trip to Japan

Mr Putin has reserved special praise for Donald Trump for trying to stem the flow of migrants and drugs into the US, just before the men met today.

‘Traitors must be punished’: Putin brands treason the ‘gravest crime possible’ as he shrugs off Skripal row

Vladimir Putin today said British claims that his agents carried out the Salisbury poisoning are ‘not worth five pounds’ – but justified attacks on Russian traitors saying: ‘Treason is the gravest crime possible and must be punished’.

The Russian President will meet Theresa May at the G20 in Russia today where the Prime Minister will demand he admits to the Novichok attack and hand over the two spies sent to kill Sergei Skripal last year.

Mrs May has said her decision to speak to Putin in Osaka is not a return to ‘business as usual’ with Russia, whose leader today sought to laugh off claims he ordered the poisoning.

Mr Putin told the Financial Times: ‘Listen, all this fuss about spies and counterspies, it is not worth serious interstate relations. This spy story, as we say, it is not worth five kopecks. Or even five pounds, for that matter’.

But in a chilling admission about how he believes his country should ‘punish’ like Skripal, who was secretly sharing secrets with the British, he added: ‘Treason is the gravest crime possible and traitors must be punished. I am not saying that the Salisbury incident is the way to do it. But traitors must be punished.’

And in admission that he is willing to take risks to protect his country, he said: ‘He who doesn’t take risks, never drinks Champagne’.

Earlier Putin said Anglo-Russian relations were beginning to improve ahead of his face-to-face meeting with Theresa May at this weekend’s G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

Relations have been rocky since the UK pointed the finger at the Kremlin for the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March last year.

Mr Putin said: ‘I think Russia and UK are both interested in fully restoring our relations, at least I hope a few preliminary steps will be made.’

But in a chilling admission about how he believes his country should ‘punish’ people like Skripal, who was secretly sharing secrets with the British, he added: ‘Treason is the gravest crime possible and traitors must be punished. I am not saying that the Salisbury incident is the way to do it. But traitors must be punished.’

And in admission that he is willing to take risks to protect his country, he said: ‘He who doesn’t take risks, never drinks Champagne’.

Trump’s critics have accused him of being too friendly with Putin and castigated him for failing to publicly confront the Russian leader in Helsinki over Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

A U.S. special counsel, Robert Mueller, conducted a two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow.

Mueller found that Russia did meddle in the election but that the Trump campaign did not illegally conspire with Russia to influence the vote.

In a further attempt to lighten the mood, Trump sought common ground with Putin at the expense of the journalists who had gathered to catch the leaders at the outset of their meeting.

‘Get rid of them. Fake news is a great term, isn’t it. You don’t have this problem in Russia but we do,’ Trump said.

World leaders kicked off one of their most high-stakes G20 meetings in years Friday, with rows brewing over a bruising US-China trade war and climate change despite a more conciliatory tone from US President Donald Trump.

After lashing out at friend and foe alike en route to Osaka in western Japan for the meeting, Trump appeared in a less combative mood when meeting fellow world leaders face-to-face.

Fresh from describing traditionally close US ally Germany as ‘delinquent’ for not paying enough into the NATO budget, he was effusive when meeting Chancellor Angela Merkel.

‘She’s a fantastic person, a fantastic woman and I’m glad to have her as a friend,’ he said.

President Trump was the man left waiting for his Russian counterpart who he greeted warmly with his arms open

Mr Trump said it was an ‘honour’ to be meeting with the Russian leader, who he last met in Helsinki, Finland, last year before putting his hand out

They shook hands and then Trump joked that he should not ‘meddle’ in the next US Presidential elections

Putin and Trump have met very rarely but both rumours of collusion have dogged President Trump for years

Trump and Putin walked into the G20 ‘family photo’ session together after many other leaders had gathered

President Donald Trump was at the centre of the photo and shook hands with China’s President Xi Jinping with the countries currently in a trade war

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shakes hands with US President Donald Trump ahead of the family photo of world leaders

France’s President Emmanuel Macron speaks with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan

Trade and horse-trade: Five key issues at the G20

Global trade, geopolitical hotspots and even horse-trading over top EU jobs: G20 leaders have a lot of their plate when they meet from Friday in Osaka.

Here are some of the most pressing issues facing the leaders at the two-day meeting, with the decisive action likely to take place mainly on the sidelines.

– ‘Tariffs and trade’ –

All eyes will be on whether the US and China, the world’s top two economies, can bury the hatchet in their long-running trade war that is causing headwinds for an already fragile global economy.

The two leaders, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, will hold talks on the sidelines of the Osaka summit, their first face-to-face meeting since December at the last G20 in Argentina.

Experts are sceptical that a definitive deal will be struck in Japan, but many believe they may agree on a tariff truce and set a new deadline for a final agreement.

Trade will also feature heavily as a point of conflict in the wider G20 meeting with battles likely over the wording of the final statement – if the leaders can agree on one.

A G20 finance ministers meeting earlier this month noted in a communique that trade tensions had ‘intensified’ and that risks were ’tilted to the downside’, but even this statement took 30 hours of hard-fought wrangling.

– Letter from Pyongyang –

Relations between the United States and North Korea have been in the freezer since a summit in Hanoi in February failed to achieve progress on Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

But a recent exchange of letters between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has raised hopes that a third summit could be on the cards, and the US president is travelling to South Korea immediately after the G20.

Xi arrives in Osaka fresh from his first visit to Pyongyang and observers expect he may pass on a message from Kim to rekindle diplomatic activity.

– Iranian powder keg –

With key regional players such as the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia in attendance, the mounting tensions with Iran are certain to be a hot topic of conversation.

The G20 host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sought to play a mediation role with a historic trip to Tehran, but this was overshadowed by two attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman that Washington blames on Iran.

At the last moment, Trump called off a planned military retaliation for the downing of an unmanned US drone, saying that the estimated death toll of 150 was not proportionate.

And on Friday, he said there was ‘no rush’ to calm tensions with Iran.

‘Hopefully in the end it’s going to work out,’ he added.

EU President Donald Tusk warned that the tensions were a ‘serious concern’ and urged Iran to comply with a nuclear deal despite Washington’s decision to withdraw from it.

– Climate change wrangling –

Hosts Japan are hoping to achieve consensus on the increasingly contentious issue of climate change action.

But they will struggle to unite European leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, who has said he wants to see ambitious language on climate change action, and Trump, who plans to withdraw Washington from the Paris climate agreement.

Macron has said including a reference to the Paris deal on lowering emissions is a ‘red line’, and a German government source admitted negotiations are ‘particularly difficult this year’.

Last year’s G20 communique saw all members but the US refer to the Paris deal as ‘irreversible’, with Washington inserting a line reiterating its commitment to withdrawing from the agreement.

– ‘Brussels horse-trading’ –

After failing to agree a deal for the successor to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at a summit on Friday, EU leaders have kicked the can down the road to a special meeting in Brussels on June 30.

But Tusk confirmed Friday that conversations would continue with top EU leaders at the G20, adding that he had held ’12 or 13 phone calls’ with other EU players.

‘What I feel is that we are closer to the solution but still too far to say something more concrete today.’

Leaders of the Group of 20 opened a high-stakes summit in Japan’s Osaka Friday that is expected to be one of the most fractious in years.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened the meeting, which will be dominated by contentious discussions on trade, geopolitical tensions, and climate change.

But the mood appeared friendly in the opening minutes, with smiles on the faces of the arriving leaders as they posed for the traditional ‘family photograph’.

US President Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping, whose countries are mired in a damaging trade war, exchanged a handshake before the photo. The two leaders are due for hotly anticipated talks on Saturday.

And as the leaders headed into the first session, French President Emmanuel Macron leaned down to whisper something into Trump’s ear, covering his mouth for privacy as he did so.

Last night Mr Putin said liberal governments had ignored their people in pursuit of multiculturalism and tolerance of gay people. He said: ‘I am not trying to insult anyone because we have been condemned for our alleged homophobia. But we have no problem with LGBT persons. God forbid, let them live as they wish.

‘But some things do appear excessive to us. They claim now that children can play five or six gender roles. Let everyone be happy, we have no problem with that.

‘But this must not be allowed to overshadow the culture, traditions and traditional family values of millions of people making up the core population.’

This morning, European Union President Donald Tusk blasted Putin for suggesting in the interview that liberalism was ‘obsolete.’

In a statement to reporters, Tusk said, ‘We are here as Europeans also to firmly and unequivocally defend and promote liberal democracy.’

He said, ‘What I find really obsolete are: authoritarianism, personality cults, the rule of oligarchs. Even if sometimes they may seem effective.’

The Russian president (seen arriving in Japan today) criticised Western views on gay rights, immigration and multiculturalism – which he claimed were an attack on ‘traditional family values’

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin arrived at the G20 where he was welcomed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who then met German leader Angela Merkel, who Putin blasted over her migrant policy

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin take part in a meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka

President Donald Trump exchanged greetings with a grinning Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at a ‘family photo’ at the G20 summit in Japan Friday.

The two men could be seen sharing conversation as the world leaders gathered on a single stage for the traditional photo-op.

The Saudi Crown Prince has been under increased scrutiny since the murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

The CIA reportedly has concluded that he ordered the murder.

Mr Putin said the threat of a new nuclear arms race between Russia and the US was a concern, adding: ‘The Cold War was a bad thing… but there were at least some rules that all participants in international communication more or less adhered to or tried to follow.’

Despite the warm words in public, the meeting could be one of the most explosive in years, with clashes possible over trade, Iran, and climate change.

The most eagerly anticipated part of the meeting will be on Saturday when Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold their first face-to-face since the last G20, to thrash out a truce in a long-running trade war that has stymied the world economy.

Experts believe there is little chance of a full deal immediately, saying the best hope is for a truce that would avoid Washington imposing new tariffs and ramping up the conflict.

But even a truce is not guaranteed, with the Wall Street Journal reporting Thursday that Beijing will not agree to any deal unless Washington lifts its ban on Chinese telecoms firm Huawei.

In an apparent reference to this issue, Trump at the opening session said: ‘We must also ensure the resilience and security of our 5G networks.’

Before arriving, Trump said China wanted a ceasefire because its economy was ‘going down the tubes’, appearing to also threaten another $325 billion in levies in addition to the $200 billion Washington has already imposed.

After Xi held a meeting with counterparts from Egypt, South Africa and Senegal, Dai Bing, an official from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said ‘all leaders stressed that… bullying practices are on the rise.’

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shakes hands with Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the US President at the International Exhibition Center

Shinzo Abe’s wife Akie Abe (front centre) poses with partners of the G20 leaders for a family photo during the summit on Friday

The wives of the leaders of state take their places at the venue as the line up to pose for official photos ahead of proceedings

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s wife Emine Erdogan and French First Lady Brigitte Macron were among the leaders’ wives posing in the photos